Can I Take Time off for Olympics? ; Companies Who Support the Training of Their Employee-Athletes Find It Boosts Worker Morale and Drive

Article excerpt

It's not the usual time-off request. But when would-be Olympians
ask their employers for time off to train for running, rowing, or
even judo, they're finding a surprisingly sympathetic response -
even from small and midsize companies hit hard by downsizing and
tough times.

Employee morale, it seems, still counts among employers.

Take Cindy Bishop. Late last year, the software engineer
cautiously approached her boss at RSA Security in Bedford, Mass., to
ask for a few months off to try out for the US women's rowing team.
Like many tech companies, RSA has weathered tough times, including a
falling stock price and downsizing.

But the company was a year beyond layoffs. That was "enough time
and distance" to support Ms. Bishop's request, says Vivian Vitale,
senior vice president of human resources at RSA, even though her
leave has the potential to go well beyond the company's 90-day limit
if she makes the team.

"For the period Cindy is out, the cost to the company is
minimal," says Ms. Vitale. "For the time she is scheduled to be out,
we will be covering the company contribution for her benefits only.
The maximum we can extend this leave is one year."

RSA will spend $7,500 to sponsor Bishop's boat, bringing its
total projected cost to $15,000.

Bishop's Olympic efforts are delivering a return on investment in
terms of better employee morale and corporate culture. "We're proud
of this," Vitale says. "It's good for recruitment, and allows us to
be a local employer of choice."

While RSA did not go out and recruit an Olympic hopeful, Medarex
of Princeton, N.J., did. The healthcare firm, near Princeton
University Lake where the rowing team is based, has become a
recruiting ground for its president and CEO, Donald Drakeman.

"We look for a pool of very bright, well-educated, serious,
hardworking people," Mr. Drakeman says, adding that elite athletes
fit that profile and bring a drive and work ethic that meshes with
the biotech's culture.

Research analyst Jason Flickinger is a 2004 Summer Olympics
hopeful and Medarex's second employee Olympian. When he is not
practicing with the rowing team, Flickinger puts in a 30-hour week
at Medarex, working closely with Drakeman as well as with the CFO.

Flickinger does take time off for training, ranging from a few
hours to several weeks, and is compensated accordingly. This season,
Flickinger is taking a six- to seven-week leave to join the rowing
team at its winter home in San Diego. …